In the dark
by SlytherinElektra
Summary: Arthur has been kidnapped and is in a cell with no windows......And of course Merlin needs to do something about it!
1. Chapter 1

When Arthur woke up, it was dark, really dark and he didn't remember anything of what had happenned. He didn't remember how a man and a woman had enchanted him to have the deepest sleep of his life, or how they had taken him out of the castle, pretending to be a couple that was travelling out of the kingdom. He didn't remember all the miles he had made hidden under bales of hay, or how he had been thrown into that jail, and he certainly couldn't remember Merlin trying to stop his captors.

He spent two days sleeping, in a semi-comatose state. When he finally woke up he tried to locate himself but he didn't recognise anything. It was a damp cell, with no windows or any kind of furniture. His ribs and his leg hurt from the way he had been thrown and he was cold and sore. Not the kind of situation a prince was used to be in. Silently hoping his knights to come to take him back to his castle, he started searching for ways to escape.

***********************

The alarm on the kingdom was as high as it could be. All the king's men were looking for the prince, without much luck. There didn't seem to a clue, of where or who they should look for. Only Merlin knew something about the kidnapping of the prince.

- This is uselees! I can't find anything!- said Merlin, throwing the book he'd been reading away.

-You shouldn't treat books like that, Merlin, the knowledge written down there can save your life.- came Gaius's voice from the door of the chamber.

-I know, is just….how am I supposed to find Arthur's captors if the only thing I remember is their faces?

He remembered what the dragon had said "You have everything in you to save the prince". It hadn't been very precise, but the dragon had never been specific, yet he had been always helpful.

- I am certain that you will find a way, Merlin.

- Maybe, but while I do that couple can do anything they want with Arthur. Who knows, maybe he's already dead.

- Don't lose faith, you are the biggest chance Arthur has right now. If you with your gifts can't find him....

- Yeah, thanks for the pressure, Gaius.

Merlin retrieved his magic book and ran through the pages again. He even went to the last pages, where the enchantments were extremely complicated. There found something quite interesting. Enchanting an object so it will lead to a lost friend. All he needed was something of Arthur's and the will to find him. And even if it was the most difficult enchantment on the earth, he was not going to give up until he succeeded.

"Hang on, Arthur, I'm coming"

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Arthur had searched every corner of the cell looking for a escapeway. Even the faintest trace of a tunnel, the smallest hole on the wall would had given him hope. But there had been nothing like that. Later he had screamed for hours for someone to come, for the captors to show their faces, but noone had come. After that his knees buckled and he threw up on the floor bile and water, for there was no food left inside him. Feeling weak and dirty, he realised then that noone was going to feed him.

He tried to be strong, to tell himself that the next day could be more useful, that he would get out that hole. But all those hours of darkness without the faintest ray of light had eaten up brightness of his soul. Tears feel down on his face as he went to sleep again.

**************************

In the gates of Camelot, the next morning, a servant asked his horse to hurry.

Merlin was going to be able to locate Arthur, but would he be on time to save his friend?

A/N: As always, sorry the english mistakes, I'm spanish, and and I'm still learning!

Hope you liked it and please write reviews! You'll contribute to a happier world by making me happy!


	2. Chapter 2

The third time Arthur woke up in the damp cell where he had been thrown there was water awaiting for him. At first, he was tempted to drink it all as fast as he could, but then he thought better and started drinking it in small sips. That way it would last longer and it wouldn't be such a shock to his body. Ah, the tasteless taste of water. It was glorious.

He tried to stand but couldn't. He didn't know how many days had passed since he left Camelot, but it felt like years. Someone should have come for him, he was the prince! Why weren't the knights there? Why hadn't his father come? And where was Merlin? Had everyone abandoned him? Had Camelot forgotten him? Arthur knew that those were not very realistic thoughts, but all that time in the dark, without knowing if it was day or night, if it was rainy or sunny, all those hours in cold loneliness were driving him crazy.

His body needed food and heat and his soul needed a ray of sunshine and a kind word. Lying in a corner of the windowless cell, Arthur realised that probably he would never see the light of day again, and closed his eyes.

********************

For two days Merlin rode on his horse, almost without stopping. Thanks to the enchanted glove he had taken from Arthur's chamber he knew that with every minute that passed he was closer to his friend. He crossed woods and villages, even a small river, until he found a town. The town. That was the place, it had to be.

He went to an inn to have some food. Arthur's captors were probably powerful sorcerers and he needed to be strong if he wanted to defeat them. He took a look around him. Everything seemed to be perfectly normal, nothing stood out. It was just a nameless town in the middle of nowhere. Until he saw them. The couple that had taken Arthur was there, in the inn, about to exit.

Knowing that a confrontation with witnesses might not be wise, Merlin followed the man and the woman discreetly through the village, until they reached an empty was the moment.

"You! I know you kidnapped Arthur! I will give one chance to tell me where he is or..."

"Or you'll do what, kid?" said the woman, mocking her opponent.

Merlin didn't think twice.

"Eslau brefilj magdewuld!"

Nothing happenned. That charm was supposed to the knock the woman out and nothing had happenned. What the hell?

"See this, boy?" said the woman, pointing a silver necklace. "It's an amulet. It protects its carrier from magic. Thanks to this beatiful thing we will be the next king and queen of Camelot. It's been years to make it and plan everything but now it's almost done. Prince Arthur will die. We'll take his cold body to Camelot and execute Uther just after he's seen his dead heir, and proclaim ourselves sovereigns. You see, kid, knights can't hurt us, because our magic is way stronger than heir swords, and sorcerers either because their magic is useless now that we have the amulets. If you are a good kid who decides to leave RIGHT NOW maybe we will spare you."

Merlin was furious. How could this woman be so arrogant? The way in which she talked, with such superiority... Maybe Merlin's situation wasn't as good as hers but he could be as arrogant as she was. With confidence, and looking at the woman in the eye he took a step forward. And then another. And another. He faced her while he walked. He approached her until their noses almost touched, and with that arrogance he loathed, he said:

"Well, I..."

In mid-sentence, Merlin grabbed the amulet from the woman's neck and ran. He ran, and ran, and ran. He could hear the couple throwing enchantments at him, but now they could not harm him. He hid in a stable and performed the tracking spell again, stronger this time, with more urgency.

Ten minutes later, Merlin was at the cell, muttering a charm that would open the door, terrified that he could find his friend dead. When he saw him, he almost screamed. Even if Arthur wasn't dead there could not be much life left in him. Without thinking, he kneeled next to his friend.

"Arthur! Arthur!"

The prince was still breathing.

"Thank god you're alive!"

But that was not the end.

On the door of the cell, the man and the woman stood grinning. They grinned because now they were both at their mercy. Because now not only they had the prince but the warlock too. Now there would be noone to stop them.

Arthur barely had a pulse. Melrin too was tired and with no idea of what to do next.

And now they were both in the dark.

A/N: Hope you liked it! And please, if you like it, review!


	3. Chapter 3

It was like when he closed his eyes. Merlin was engulfed by a darkness he never thought to be posible. It was terribly unsettling. Then the image of Arthur alone in that hell for almost a week popped in his head. It was painful the thought his dear friend going through such torture. Now he had to make sure that being locked up in a cell wasn't the last thing Arthur would experience.

There had to be a way to get him and Arthur out of there, safely. But even if they got out that nasty couple would be there, waiting for them. And Merlin had the amulet, but his friend didn't. It would be easy for the couple to aim at the prince and finish off the job they had started. And he still didn't know if the man was inmune to magic or not, but it didn't seem likely, as he had been always on the background.

"What should I do, Arthur?"

In that moment, the prince reacted to the sound of another voice, and his eyes opened briefly. He found that he didn't have strength for anything, totally weak. He felt cold, sleepy and exhausted, too, but that sound made him feel hopeful. Then he remembered where he was. Still, he couldn't quite place what the blue-eyed blur he was staring at was.

"...Merlin?"

He tried to catch his sleeve and warn him. Arthur wanted to tell Merlin to escape, to get away, in whichever way he could. He was clever, he'd find a way. Arthur had also wanted to tell Merlin to forget about him and save himself but found that he was enable to even think straight anymore, and succumbed to the darkness yet again.

"Yes! Yes! I't's me!" said the warlock, smiling for the first time in days. "Arthur?"

Merlin's smile faded when he saw that Arthur was unsconscious again. Now the prince was once more limp, cold and pale as death. His breathing and pulse were so feeble they could stop any minute. But what hurt Merlin the most were the traces of tears he saw under Arthur's eyes. That was it. He wasn't waiting any longer. He muttered a simple spell while taking his friend's hand and they were both out of the cell.

"We're out now, Arthur. Everything's going to be okay. No more darkness"

"You think so, kid?" It was that woman's voice again "Estrletho!"

And the amulet, Merlin's most powerful weapon, flew back to its owner.

"You thought you could use my own creation against me? You were wrong."

In a split second there was an explosion of magic. Merlin pointed at the man, the man at Arthur and the woman at Merlin.

**********************

"You idiot!" screamed the woman at her partner "Where did you send them?"

"The boy was staring at me, I wanted him out! How I was supposed to know that he holding the prince's hand and that they would both disappear?"

"We needed the body of the prince to continue with the plan! Idiot! Where in hell did you send them?"

"Someplace far"

*********************

Merlin and Arthur landed in a cold place. The warlock looked all around him, but he didn't recognise the place. Deep in an unknown forest, he couldn't know where to head if he wanted to reach a village, a cabin to spend the night, or even which direction he should take to go to Camelot. He was totally lost. Again.

But now Arthur had less time.

A/N: Hope you liked it! Thank you to everyone who reviewed so far and please, keep doing it!Thanks in advance!


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur was breathing slowly and painfully, but he was still there. The night was filled with the sound of the forest, and Merlin, after giving himself a short-lived time to think started acting. Holding his friend in his arms –the prince was incredibly weightless after the severe diet of the cell- the warlock headed to where he thought he'd heard a stream.

Merlin took his friend there and tried to make him drink, but Arthur was totally unresponsive but the water simply trickled down his face. It was getting quite exasperating. Merlin himself was weak quite weak too, because he hadn't eaten in two days, and he found that he couldn't think as clearly as before.

After dawn, a feminine singsong voice woke Merlin from a restless slumber. Had the woman caught with them already? He hid himself and Arthur behind an specially big tree, and paid more attention to the voice.

-I'm picking this flowers and plants…in the forest…..because my master ordered me to…and I sing while I do it….because the forest is boring…..

That certainly didn't sound like an ultra villain, but it could also be a trap. Carefully, Merlin looked to the place where the voice came. It was a young maidservant, apparently picking flowers innocently. Maybe she could help.

"Hey! Are you from around here?" Merlin asked addressing to her. "I need help, my friend's very ill, he needs a physician, and I'm totally lost."

The girl, scared, dropped all her flowers, then, after looking at them, she approached and kneeled next to Arthur.

"He does look bad…"

"Where can I go?" asked Merlin, with renewed hopes of saving the prince.

"My town is three hours from here, if we go quickly, but there is no physician of any kind…"

"Well, I can't just sit here and watch him die!"

The girl, who seemed to understand Merlin's anxiety, looked at him in the eye and asked him.

"Would you do anything to save the boy? Even if it broke the rules?" Merlin nodded "Well, there was this blacksmith in my town who did magic to make his weapons unbeatable…he was killed by one of his shields or something like that, but I managed to get the book of spells he used, and I think there is something that could help you…"

"You do magic?"

"I know, I'm a bad girl…here's the spell, Magickal transport… but it's quite difficult I don't know if I can…"

"Don't worry, I got it. Thanks a lot, Lady, you don't know how much you help me."

Merlin was already muttering the spell when the girl spoke.

"One thing…"

"Merlin"

"Merlin, if he makes it, would you come back to Carlisle, and let me know that the spell worked and that you're both okay?"

"Of course."

Without further delay, Merlin did the enchantment and in no time he and Arthur were in the castle. Gaius took care of the half-dead prince, and Merlin told Gwen about the cell, the woods, and the terrible couple. Everything seemed to have gotten better, and that night, Merlin slept with an open window to let the light come in.

The next morning, Merlin woke up smiling. Expecting Gaius to be there with the breakfast, but he wasn't. He wasn't because, even if he had taken good care of the prince and he had been recovering all night, with the first rays of dawn he developed a terribly high fever and seemed to be in terrible pain. Uther was desperate, nearly crying by his son's bedside.

Suddenly a man and a woman stormed into the room, having ignored all the guards.

"Uther, Uther, Uther, how will you rule when you are grieving for the terrible loss of dearest Prince Arthur?" said the woman, and her eyes shone as much as her silver necklace.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the one that's killing your son."

A/N: Hope you liked it! Only one chapter left after this! Will Merlin be able to defeat the bad bad woman? Will Arthur stop suffering (that poor boy)? We'll see! Pleaaaase review! It makes my day!


	5. Chapter 5

Merlin sensed that something was wrong. Something wasn't quite right about the light of the day, something was making the day dark. After eating a bit of breakfast (it felt so good having something to eat everyday) he stormed out of the physician's chambers, looking for some answers. On his way to the castle, Merlin ran into Gwen and Morgana, who looked quite anxious.

"What's going on?" he asked

"A couple of sorcerers have locked themselves in Arthur's chambers. Gaius and Uther are also in there." Morgana explained, waving her hands.

"A couple? You mean a man and a woman?"

"Yes, we guess these are the same man and woman that kidnapped Arthur."

Merlin sighed, thinking to himself "I can't take a break!"

"And what was Gaius doing there?" asked the warlock.

"Arthur's condition worsened at dawn. He has a very high fever and seems to be plagued by sharp pains."

Great. That was just great.

"You'll be able to help them, won't you, Merlin?" said Gwen.

"Of course I'll be"

But how? He couldn't even enter the room, because those sorcerers would tell Uther that he did magic, and would be the death of him. And of course, he couldn't enchant the woman form a distance because she was wearing that amulet of hers. But he needed to do something, there was too much at stake. Having ran out of ideas, he went to see the dragon.

"How do I defeat these sorcerers?" he asked, hoping for a simple answer he knew he wasn't going to get.

"Enter their hearts, young warlock, you will continue fulfilling your destiny."

"Enter their hearts…but how? That woman is invulnerable to magic!"

"Every coin has two sides, Merlin, never forget that"

"I don't under…..That's it! The man! Thanks!"

It was easy! He couldn't attack the woman, but with a bit of magic he could turn the man against her! He remembered reading a spell somewhere….

Arthur didn't understand what was going on. Outside his world of burning heat and unbearable pain someone was shouting. He thought he had heard his father, but he couldn't be sure. Maybe he was just delusional. Why was this happening to him…again? Hadn't he suffered enough the last couple of years? Ironically, this time the young prince found protection and shelter in the dark, in the deepest of the dark.

"Arthur? Arthur! Son, please!" shouted the king of Camelot.

"He has blacked out? Then there's not much time left. I'm not surprised, after been starved for days in the darkness… He would be already be dead if it wasn't for the useless piece of meat that is my husband…"

"I'm sorry, dear" said the husband.

_I don't deserve to be treated the way she treats me_. The man didn't know where that thought has come from, but it was right. He didn't deserve all the insults and the disdain.

"So… Uther…..Let's make a deal. Your son is beyond repair, now, but if you surrender the kingdom now, we may spare your ward. But only if she gives up all of her rights. I'm the only queen Camelot will have."

The man watched in silence. "Me, me, always thinking about her, sometimes, I swear she gets to my nerves". Suddenly, all the anger that he had been feeling all those years started to surface.

"Poor, poor, Prince Arthur, such a sad story." continued the woman with false sympathy "No mum, died young. It's a pity, he was quite handsome"

_That boy is innocent_! _He hasn't done anything to us! I never liked this plan…I'm not a killer! She made me a killer! I hate her!_ For a moment confusion took over the man. Why was he thinking those things? He loved his wife, he had always been a bit resentful, but he didn't hate her….or did he?

"So when I'm queen there we'll be some changes in your kingdom. I will decide everything, I will make the laws and…" The evil woman was interrupted, much to Gaius's and Uther's surprise, by her partner.

"And what about me? Do you ever of me if it's not to insult me?"

"Shut up, idiot, I'm talking!"

"No, no, no! I'm tired of you, of your spells, of your plans! I didn't want this! I told you I didn't want to hurt the boy! I never wanted to be so damn cruel and evil!"

"Well, face it, dear, you already are"

"Maybe. But it's the last time I do something because of you!"

The man took his sword and ended the life of his wife. Then a silver glow appeared, and he realised what had happened.

"Oh my….Why did I…?... I'm sorry…."

"Guards!" called Uther "Take the man and the body!"

The spell that locked the door was no longer active, because the one who made it was dead. The guards came in and took the crying man, to a dark cell with no windows. They put him in the dark. Then Merlin came in the room, and so that his plan had went perfectly. The thoughts he had written on the man's mind had worked like a charm. He was so proud of himself he was almost glowing.

"Is everyone all right?" he asked innocently.

"Yes, fortunately the couple had a crisis in the middle of their victory speech….They won't be able to do more harm."

"And Arthur?"

"He is still in a very grave condition….but now that the pain spell is gone, he'll probably recover in a few days."

And, suddenly, the day got brighter. There was no more darkness in its light.

A couple of nights later, Merlin was dozing by Arthur's bedside. His friend was still very weak and would bedridden for some days, but he was getting all the care he needed. Merlin woke up at the sound of a voice.

"Me..erlin?" Arthur's voice was only a wishper. The warlock opened his eyes, and gladly saw that Arthur was awake too.

"Arthur! How are you feeling?"

"Been better" answered the prince. "Merlin, I wanted to…. Thank you, you saved me from….the dark cell."

"It was my pleasure. And now go back to rest, you need it."

"Merlin, you...you saved me from the dark. I cannot thank..."

"You'd do the same for me"

Merlin and Arthur smiled at each other, and succumbed to peaceful slumber.

From that day on, the windowless dark cell and the laugh of the evil sorcerer would haunt Arthur's dreams.

But that's another story.

The end!

A/N: I've got so many things to say....

1. Again, sorry for any english mistakes...I'm trying to save money fora trip to London but htere are too many temptations..

is the first story I've finished in this site! Yay! Did you like it? Is it a good ending? I want to hear from you, so please review and give me a piece of your mind!

3. A huge thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far, specially to MagicByMerlin and bcargill9 that reviewed every chapter!

4. And now this story is over.... I could do some sort of epilogue in which Arthur and Merlin return to Carlisle and discover the mistery of the girl in the woods....Or a terribly angsty oneshot about Arthur's nightmares of the dark... tell me if it's sounds interesting to you!

5. Thank you for reading!


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